Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!China’s Grand Canal
By Linda Tancs
Officially known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the route of China’s ancient thoroughfare (dating as far back as 495 B.C.) runs from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south and is the longest man-made waterway in the world. Although much of the Grand Canal is no longer in use, various sections running through Suzhou can still be toured. In fact, canals are such a prominent part of this ancient city in eastern China that it’s been dubbed “Venice of the East.” More than 50 miles of scenery dot the waterway, including hundreds of old-world river dwellings, 10 ancient city gates, dozens of stone bridges and two of Suzhou’s crown jewels, Hanshan Temple and West Garden Temple.
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Spoonbridge and Cherry
By Linda Tancs
A beloved icon of Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota, the Spoonbridge and Cherry is a giant sculpture of a spoon topped off with a cherry. It’s located in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, one of the nation’s largest urban sculpture parks. Designed by husband and wife Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, the giant 5,800 pound spoon stretches 52 feet across a small pond shaped like a linden tree seed. A fine stream of water, just enough to make the aluminum 1,200 pound cherry gleam, flows over the cherry from the base of the stem. A second stream of water sprays from the top of the stem over the cherry, down into the spoon and the pool below. See it now; a major renovation of the park is scheduled for the spring, and its garden artworks will be placed in storage during construction.
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An Architectural Gem in Newark
By Linda Tancs
One of the few remaining early gambrel-roofed stone houses in New Jersey, Plume House is one of two 18th century dwellings still standing in Newark, the state’s largest city. Formerly a colonial farmhouse surrounded by an apple orchard with sweeping river views, it now stands sentinel at Broad and State streets adjoining a thunderous interstate highway and rail station. Built by John Plume in the 1700s, this old house bore witness to many events of the Revolutionary War, including George Washington’s retreat from the Battle of Long Island. Later it became the site of invention of flexible photographic film by Rev. Hannibal Goodwin, founder of Goodwin Film and Camera Company. Nowadays the house serves as the rectory for the House of Prayer Episcopal Church.
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Germany’s August City
By Linda Tancs
Reputedly Germany’s oldest city, Trier is quite august. Founded as Augusta Treverorum in 16 B.C. during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar, its Roman heritage is omnipresent. You’ll find the famous Imperial Baths where the Romans went to relax, remnants of the St. Barbara Roman Baths from the second century and the Roman Bridge, which is still part of a main road into the city. And don’t forget the iconic Porta Nigra, the tallest Roman gate north of the Alps, measuring 98 feet high, 71 feet wide and 118 feet long. It’s one of the city’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites.
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Slavery and Emancipation in the Bahamas
By Linda Tancs
The Pompey Museum in the Bahamas boasts a permanent collection exploring the history of slavery and emancipation in the island nation. Located in Nassau, the museum is named in honor of Pompey, a courageous slave who led a revolt against unfair conditions on the Rolle Plantation in Exuma. The site of several renowned exhibitions on slavery, the museum is located in a historic arcaded pink building at Bay and George streets.
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The Birthplace of America
By Linda Tancs
Unearthed by a local farmer in 1898, the Kensington Runestone is a grey, earthy rock with an inscription purportedly made by the Vikings more than a century before Christopher Columbus sojourned to America. This artifact is displayed in Alexandria, Minnesota, a town therefore proclaiming itself to be the “birthplace of America.” Doubtful of the claim? Maybe you can coax a response out of Big Ole, a 28-foot fiberglass statue of a Viking that has welcomed visitors to town since 1965.
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New York Airport Goes to the Dogs
By Linda Tancs
Boasting the world’s first air terminal for animals, New York’s JFK Airport is going to the dogs—and the cats, horses, cows, reptiles, fish, birds and any other animal you can think of. Appropriately named The ARK, the new facility under development is a luxury terminal that will handle more than 70,000 of our furry (and not so furry) friends annually. Transiting and quarantined animals will be treated to a variety of creature comforts (no pun intended), like swimming pools, luxury stalls, flat-screen TVs and massage therapy.
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Backpackers’ Paradise
By Linda Tancs
China’s Old City of Dali is the capital of the former kingdom of Dali and a gateway to the Silk Road in southwestern China. Its city gate is an iconic symbol of the ancient city as is Wuhua Tower. The Bai ethnic minority folk houses are another favorite. Aptly named Foreigners Street is where Bai crafts (and their makers) are in ample supply. Widely known as a backpackers’ paradise, foreigners spend weeks, if not months, in the ancient town to study Bai culture.
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Tribute to a Mountain Man
By Linda Tancs
Near an unpaved road on the south side of Shadehill Reservoir in northwestern South Dakota stands a tribute to a mountain man. The honoree is Hugh Glass, a fur trapper in the 1800s who was mauled by a grizzly bear and left to die in the wilderness. Luckily for Hugh, his indefatigable spirit set him crawling for 200 miles from the site of the attack to eventual safety (and medical assistance) at Fort Kiowa. A monument marks the spot where the bear attacked. His life is commemorated in the film The Revenant.
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Places of Invention
By Linda Tancs
Inventor Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Failure taught Edison to repeatedly innovate, an activity that is celebrated at Places of Invention. Located at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., the exhibition highlights innovative communities across the country and their effect on society. Visitors, both on-site and online, can explore and discuss case studies as well as contribute stories about their own communities.
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